The present disclosure relates to turbomachine components and systems, more specifically components and systems configured for thermal regulation thereof.
Turbomachine compressors include a series of blades connected to rotor disks which are operatively disposed on a shaft to rotate. Each blade has a corresponding stator, which together with the blade, form a stage. The disks can include pathways at the bore portion which connects to the shaft to allow cooling airflow to pass through close to the shaft.
Traditionally, a forward stage can include a bleed to allow cool air to flow from the rim of the rotor disk through a rotor cavity, down toward the shaft through the bore, and out to a pressure sink (e.g., turbine). However, this type of cooling minimally regulates temperature differentials in aft stages of the compressor. At certain operational regimes (e.g., during transient states), the rotor disks in aft stages can experience dramatic temperature differentials between the disk rim and the disk bore which stresses the disk material decreasing disk life. For example, when the engine accelerates from low power to high power, the rim is hotter than the bore causing material stress due to the temperature differential. When the engine decelerates from high power to low power, the bore is hotter than the rim and the reverse stress is encountered.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for improved thermal regulation in turbomachines. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.